The present invention relates generally to an image capture device and more particularly to a method and system for increasing storage capacity on demand in an image capture device.
In general, modern digital cameras for taking pictures of scenes and the like typically include an imaging device which is controlled by a computer running a single threaded process. When an image is captured, the imaging device is exposed to light and generates raw image data representing the image. The raw image data ,is typically stored in a single image buffer where it is then processed and compressed by the processor. Many types of compression schemes are used to compress the image data, with the joint photographic expert group (JPEG) standard being the most popular. After the processor processes and compresses the raw image data into JPEG image files, the processor stores the JPEG image files into an internal memory or on an external memory card.
While digital cameras do alleviate the hassles of using and developing film that are required by film-based cameras, digital cameras are not without their share of concerns. One main concern is the maintenance of storage space in the digital camera. Most users desire the ability to take images on an instant""s notice. Inherently, a limitation exists due to the cameras storage capacity. Even with the use JPEG compression techniques to efficiently utilize storage, users are often hampered when taking an image as a result of a lack of storage space. Thus, the ability to efficiently increase the storage capacity in a digital camera is highly desirable.
Accordingly, a need exists for a convenient and efficient manner of increasing storage capacity in an image capture unit. The present invention addresses such a need.
The present invention provides aspects for increasing storage capacity in a digital image capture device. Compression levels of saved image files are utilized to increase storage capacity by identifying a level of compression of a saved image file in the digital image capture device. The identified level of compression is compared with a predetermined level of compression, and the saved image file is compressed to the predetermined level of compression when the identified level of compression does not match the predetermined level of compression to free storage space in the digital image capture device.